Korea, US kick off combined air drills this week

Korea and the United States kicked off their combined air drills this week, focusing on counter-air and air interdiction missions aimed at enhancing wartime joint operations, the Air Force said Monday. The Freedom Flag exercise began Monday for a two-week run at Kunsan Air Base in Gunsan, about 180 kilometers southwest of Seoul, involving the allies' key aerial assets, including the Korean Air Force's F-15K, KF-16 and F-35A fighter jets, the armed force said in a release. The KC-330 transport aircraft and E-737 Peace Eye early warning and control aircraft will also be deployed for the exercise. The U.S. Air Force's F-16 Fighting Falcon jet, RC-135 reconnaissance plane and its Navy's MH-60S Seahawk helicopter, as well as the F-35B stealth fighter jet and the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned surveillance aircraft of the U.S. Marines Corps will also participate in the drills. The air forces will operate day and nighttime "mission planning cells" to exchange tactics and expertise, while refining wartime operational and mission execution procedures, the Air Force said. The missions are designed to enhance